Parabatais
by TipandMalarkey
Summary: Parabatais share a bond unlike any other, they'd even give their life up for their brother


Don't own any characters they all belong to Cassandra Clare

**Parabatais**

Jace was in his element, this was where he belonged, slaughtering demons. He plunged his seraph blade deep into the skin of the hideous demon that was looming menacingly over Alec, his parabatai. But it was too late, Alec slumped to the ground, blood was seeping out of several wounds in his chest. The demon turned into black vapour as Jace retracted his blade from it. Jace sprinted forward to Alec, he could feel the worry for his parabatai closing around him, suffocating him, but that didn't matter, Alec mattered. Falling to his knees, Jace pulled Alec's head into his lap and drew out his stele. Swiftly he applied an iratze, the black of the mark was a hideous contrast to the deadly pale of Alec's skin. Alec's breathing was shallow and his brow was beaded with sweat. Blood was flowing from the claw marks in his chest at what seemed like an unstoppable rate. The iratze didn't appear to be helping and Jace was panicking, he couldn't let his parabatai die. Jace tried to form a plan in his mind but his thoughts were clouded by despair. Alec broke him out of his darkening reprieve 'Ja-ace' he spluttered painfully. As if on cue sinister black mist began swirling around them.

'No don't talk Al, you're gonna be fine' Jace tried to reassure Alec but his voice shook. He looked down at Alec's face; his blue eyes were extremely bright but they were etched with pain, his skin was so ghostly pale it was almost translucent, little flecks of blood stained his trembling lips.

'Stop Jace' Alec said, it was clear how difficult he was finding it to talk. Jace looked away, not sure if he could conceal the pain he himself was feeling as he saw Alec like this. 'Jace look at me… please' Something strange in Alec's voice made Jace look back at Alec, was Jace imagining it or did Alec just speak in an English accent? Jace looked at him and saw Alec's black hair and extraordinary blue eyes but it was not Alec. Jace had never seen this man him before but somehow he knew him.

Jace's lips formed the words before his brain had even processed what he was about to say, like he had no control over what he was saying 'No, William this is not how it is meant to be… I am meant to die first.' Jace was shocked when his voice also had an English accent, he looked down at his hands, they were not his hands.

'James don't you dare speak like that… God knows you are more deserving of life than I am' Will coughed and blood bubbled to his lips but he smiled gently at his parabatai.

'Will you can't leave me now… I need you… you promised that you would never leave me!' Jem said, desperately. Jem's usual calm demeanour was gone as he stared desperately at his parabatai. 'I am dying anyway, let me reverse our places. I will die here and you can live… and be… Will… what would this world be like without William Herondale?' Jem tried to smile but he felt as if the grief would rip him, but he tried to hide it, for Will.

'I should think it would be a far better place, James Carstairs. And if you dare to use a reverse rune to swap our places I… I will never forgive.'

But Jem had already drawn the rune on his arm and was finishing the rune on Will's skin. Before Will had realised what had happened there was a flash of angelic light as bodies and souls were swapped. When the light had ceased Jem was lying on the ground and Will was staring down at him. 'That is a risk I will have to take… I am sorry…'

Will was horrified 'What have you done?! I was ready to die I am not ready for you to die' the pain was so prominent in his voice, it cut Jem like a knife.

'I took a vow to protect you William and I intend to fulfil it. My time was nearly at its end anyway, it made sense for me to…' Jem was cut off by a fit of coughing, his breathing was becoming more shallow and he was growing colder and colder.

'And you also took an oath that you must not go where I could not follow' Will knew he sounded like a child.

'Until death William… and this is death' Jem smiled kindly but the light was leaving his eyes.

'You are the better part of me James. We are one.'

'We will meet again, you and I, William when the wheel has turned its full circle, but until then…' Jem's eye lids closed and his chest stopped moving.

Will's vision was blurred, a single lonely tear fell onto his cheek 'Ave atque vale.'

The black mist engulfed the figures and Alec sat up spluttering 'Not so dramatic next time please Jace, it was a scratch and an iratze was fine, your added drama was not necessary.' Alec stood up and brushed the mud and blood from his clothes.

Jace smiled mischievously at Alec 'Sorry, I couldn't help myself, anyway you're the one who always thinks you're dying and breaks out the death bed speech.'

'Haha funny, shut up Jace!' Alec joked.

Jace suddenly became serious 'Hey Alec, when the mist stuff came did you have like a… weird vision'

'Yeah, now you mention it I did. It was about two guys who were like dying or something.'

'Hmmmm, weird I saw that too.' Jace said thoughtfully. 'I wonder what it meant.'


End file.
